I arrived in Christchurch in the early hours of Monday morning. My uncle Max had very kindly agreed to meet me at the airport and give me a lift up to Kaikoura, where I will be staying for a few months. Kaikoura is a small coastal town with a population of about 3200, but hugely popular with tourists for spotting whales, dolphins and seals. In fact, I saw a group of Hector's Dolphins in the bay on my first day here - these are quite rare, found only in New Zealand, and the smallest marine dolphin. Max moved out here a couple of years ago with my aunt K.D. they have been building their own house, keeping chickens, cows, goats and rabbits, and being quite self-sufficient here. I have been helping to finish the house and
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